(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Ron DeSantis Clarifies Slavery Benefits — The Week in Editorial Cartoons (Update x 3) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-07-27 This is from a diary I wrote in 2009 — The Week in Editorial Cartoons - Confronting Racism. Doing the Right Thing A failed haberdasher from Missouri early on and always underestimated during his career, did Truman have character and personality flaws? Yes. Did he use salty, inappropriate, and perhaps racist language at times? He did. Was he a bit parochial in his approach to life? Sure. His Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, noted once that Truman had impeccable public character and rewarded loyalty. Intensely loyal to his own cabinet and staff — regarded as the most talented group of foreign policy advisers of any modern United States Administration — he was a highly principled man, made quick decisions, and never, ever did anything to personally enrich himself during his tenure as President. — from a diary I wrote in 2004 in which I looked at his foreign policy achievements and asked the question, 'Harry Truman: Best Post-WW II Foreign Policy President?' In the above sketch, Truman is to the right of Barack Obama, above Ulysses S. Grant. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was one of those moments in American history that not only provided hope for millions of minorities denied basic civil rights for generations but gave encouragement to all fair-minded and rational-thinking persons in this country. It is also important to remember the man who was responsible for this historic decision, considered to be the first major action of the modern civil rights movement. He was a most unlikely candidate to advance the cause of civil rights and attempt to exorcise the demons of racial segregation and remnants of this country's original sin. When he submitted his civil rights bill to the U.S. Congress, a southern newspaper referred to it as A dismaying document based on a pernicious fallacy. Here we have the making of a veritable Gestapo. Nothing in his Missouri upbringing and background suggested such a move. Yet, even with powerful political forces aligned against him in his own Democratic Party, he did just that. On July 26, 1948, with one stroke of his pen, President Harry S Truman signed Executive Order 9981 and desegregated the Armed Forces of the United States. He believed that after well over a million African Americans had enlisted in the armed services in World War II to fight against the mother of all racist regimes in Europe, Adolf Hitler's Third Reich -- and with racially-motivated crimes on the rise in post-war years -- the moment had arrived for the country to live up to its professed ideals and for all Americans to be treated equally in the service of their country. It was a major blow to many whites in this country who had long believed in the inherent superiority of the white race and, contrary to historical evidence, an unshakable belief in their ability — and theirs alone — to defend this country against all enemies foreign or domestic. In the ongoing struggle by progressives to fight the good fight against residual racism and achieve justice for everyone, it is inconvenient facts like these, particularly ones that point towards a "more perfect union," that have rattled demagogues like MSNBC Commentator Pat Buchanan. Historical facts are a racist's worst enemy. Imaginary grievances often clouds their judgment. To them, enemies exist within and outside our borders, posing a mortal threat to their very existence. It takes political courage and commitment to confront the bigots of this world and put them in their place. To their chagrin, at certain points in our country's turbulent history, many of our leaders and ordinary citizens have done the right thing... As for Truman, not every decision he made was universally liked. Historically speaking, his decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II and involvement in the stalemate that became the war in Korea remain controversial decisions even to this day. But in seeking equal treatment for African Americans in the military, he did one thing that I admire greatly in a leader: he transcended who he was. In doing so, he demonstrated the ability to approach a serious public policy problem not based on who he was but in spite of who he was. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2023/7/27/2183707/-The-Massa-Explains-Slavery-Benefits-The-Week-in-Editorial-Cartoons Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/